MFA | Application Guidelines

We accept applications from September to December of the current year for admission in Fall quarter next year (see sidebar for dates). We do not accept applications at any other time.

You may work on your application throughout the application period, up till you pay the application fee and submit. After you submit you may return to your application to do the following:

Confirm that your application has been forwarded to the MFA Program for review.

Check that recommendation letters have been received; re-send requests for recommendations; add more recommenders.

Add an institution to your educational background.

Upload transcripts.

Update your contact information.

While we accept recommendations and transcripts after the application deadline, please note that we do not wait for missing documents before we begin evaluating. Your application will be reviewed "as is" sometime between the December application deadline and the first week of January.

Guidelines

Please provide a phone number and email address that you will check daily during January-February in case we need to contact you for more information. We do not use your contact information for any other purpose than evaluating your application.

To apply for the Tribal Membership fellowship, indicate your tribal affiliation. Remember to follow up and provide verification of affiliation. Verification may be in the form of a valid tribal identification card, a letter of verification from the tribal chair, or chair of the tribal educational committee. Native Hawaiians should provide a copy of a certified birth certificate stating Hawaiian race.

Upload PDFs of your academic records from ALL institutions you attended after high school, including UC San Diego, UC San Diego Extension, or another UC campus. We cannot admit you if your academic records are incomplete or don't conform to UCSD's guidelines. Refer to the Graduate Admissions Office's transcript guidelines for domestic studentsor international students.

Unofficial academic records downloaded from school websites are acceptable if they state the following:

Create PDFs of the records and upload them to your application. Do not mail hard copies of your official transcripts unless we request them. The Graduate Division and the MFA Program do not retain unsolicited transcripts.

Demonstrated proficiency in the English language is required for international applicants whose native language is not English. If you have not studied full-time for one uninterrupted academic year at a university-level institution in which English is the language of instruction and in a country in which English is a dominant language, you must submit test scores to demonstrate proficiency with English. Please refer to Graduate Admissions Office / English Language Proficiency for information about testing, scores and how to submit them.

Enter your answers to the below on the application, except for the writing sample, which must be uploaded as a PDF.

Literary Genres & Aesthetics

Please tell us which literary genres, if any, you have the most experience reading, analyzing, and writing, e.g., poetry, creative nonfiction, memoir, fiction, comics, mixed-genre/interdisciplinary, writing for performance, or other.

Describe how your work is cross-genre, mixed form, and/or interdisciplinary. List any specific influences on your work including non-literature influences.

Provide a 250-word statement of your literary aesthetics/poetics in relation to the writing sample you are submitting. What literary and social questions or problems does your writing/arts practice address? Search for artist's statementguidelines if you need samples.

Goals & Research Interests

Describe your top goal in pursuing a cross-genre MFA at this time and how UCSD's MFA program might particularly support this goal.

Please name MFA faculty members and other Literature (or UCSD) faculty with whom you would be most interested in working. Knowing a bit about your research interests may help us determine if there will be faculty available to work with you during the 2-3 years of your program. Literature faculty information can be found at http://literature.ucsd.edu/people/faculty/bysection.html

Writing Sample (PDF)

A writing sample is required and is weighed heavily in the selection process. You may submit poetry, fiction (composed of one or several stories, a portion of a novel, or a combination), or hybrid texts, which could include forms such as the graphic novel or visual poetry.

Put together a sample that emphasizes quality rather than length. Submit one of the following (page lengths are suggestion, sample can be shorter or a little bit longer):

Please provide three letters of recommendation from individuals who are in a position to analyze your academic ability and potential for success in a rigorous graduate program. Letters must be submitted online by your recommenders or a recognized professional dossier services such as Inferfolio. We do not accept paper letters.

You will be asked to provide the following contact information for each recommender:

The statement of purpose must be composed offline and uploaded to the application as a PDF.

Your statement of purpose is very important and is given careful consideration in the selection process. It should provide information that will aid the selection committee in evaluating your potential for completing the MFA program. Think of the statement as an opportunity to discuss your work and goals in both a personal and critical context. Suggested topics:

Aesthetics

Community

Past experiences

Background in writing

What you have read that has been useful or influential to you as a writer

Read the fellowship information carefully, paying particular attention to Appendix A. Describe the barriers, disadvantages and adversity you overcame and your commitment to removing barriers for others. Please adhere to the character limit. Use the "Other" box for information that doesn't fit one of the above categories.

(Looking for the Tribal Fellowship application? See Residency and Applicant Data, above.)